Lay Down Your Burdens
by Nordiklief
Summary: Revelation, noun. "A surprising and previously unknown fact, especially one that is made known in a dramatic way". Follow Ruby as a series of actions from her Uncle sets off a chain of events changing the world of Remnant forever… This is canon divergent from mid way through season 4. (HIATUS)
1. The Aftermath

**Disclaimer: RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth. I do not own any of the characters or locations present, just the scenarios I have created.**

 **Lay Down Your Burdens**

 _"What are we going to do!?" She said._

" _What…" I sighed heavily before continuing, "What if we tell him it's his?"_

" _You… you would really go with that?" She said._

 _I let out another sigh, "Yea… I guess I would… Anything for you and the kid."_

" _I guess that could work… It's just… I…" She tried to put the words together._

" _It's okay… It's all going to be okay…" I told her_

" _Thank you Qrow… Thank you so much…" She said, relieved._

 **Chapter 1: The Aftermath**

Qrow was hurt badly from his fight with Tyrian. Team RNJR was currently transporting him to Mistral for medical care. The trip was taking a lot longer than Ruby was hoping it would. She was very concerned for her uncle. After they defeated the Nuckelavee Ruby refused to leave Qrow's side.

Qrow was in an out of consciousness the whole trip. When he was conscious he was very disoriented. During the flight to Mistral Ruby was doing some maintenance on Crescent Rose on a table next to Qrow while he slept. As she was finishing her maintenance on her beloved scythe she noticed Qrow start to stir. She moved over to see if he was doing ok. He seemed fine so she decided to go back to work on Crescent Rose when from behind her Qrow mumbles the name of her mother, Summer Rose.

She froze. She very rarely hears Qrow say her mother's name. She turned back to her uncle. She approached Qrow again as he stirred. She tried to ask Qrow what he had said but he was unresponsive, probably not conscious. After a minute, Ruby was about to walk away again when Qrow starting rambling "Tai...I'm sorry. I wish... things were...different. I... love you... Summer."

Ruby sat down next to Qrow placing her hand on his shoulder trying to figure out what he meant. Qrow's eyes fluttered open momentarily startling Ruby. Before she could speak her uncle immediately calmed down from his stirring. In a hushed tone, he began to say "Summer…? I thought you... it doesn't… matter… I'm happy you… are here again… kept my promise... She's grown… into quite the huntress… You'd be… so proud of her… She's so much like you… and when she gets… passionate… about something she gets… that look in her eyes… that you always had… She reminds me… so much of you sometimes… I've missed you Summer…"

His eyes close as he falls back unconscious, leaving Ruby there stunned by what she had heard. Ruby stood there, wide eyed and speechless. Her uncle had clearly been hallucinating, thinking she was Summer. But what did he mean by a promise? Why would he think she was Summer? She needed answers but Qrow was obviously in no state to answer them. She walked back over to Crescent Rose and sat in front of the weapon she treasured until they landed in Mistral, unsure what to think.

 _Qrow sat at the bar looking down at his shot of whisky. He downs the shot when his scroll buzzed in his pocket. Hoping it was Ozpin was giving him the details of his next assignment, Qrow pulls out his scroll. Despite the alcohol he has consumed, he could recognize the blonde's picture on his scroll. It was from his teammate Tai. He set his scroll down and proceeded to order another drink._

 _As the bartender approached him with his new drink, his scroll went off once more. Looking at the scroll seeing Tai's picture again he realized there was no way he was getting out of this. He downed his shot and opened the messages from Tai._

 ** _Tai: Hey, you nearby Patch?_**

 ** _Tai: Well, regardless you should come by! I have some great news to share with you that needs to be said in face to face!_**

 ** _Qrow: Yeah, I'll be by shortly._**

 _The last thing Qrow wanted to do was go over there. He knew exactly what Tai wanted to tell him and he knew he'd have to pretend to be happy about it despite how much it would kill him inside to do so. He paid the bartender and then set out._

 _After about an hour of walking he was nearing Tai and Summers house. As the house came into view he paused at the tree line to gather himself before proceeding. With each step, he could feel a great weight on his soul as he dragged himself closer to the house. He stood just outside the house and he pulled out his brown and silver flask and took a large swig before putting it away. He knew that the moment that door opened his life would change forever, and not for the better. He knocked on the door to almost immediately be greeted by Tai who then invited him inside._

At last, they landed in Mistral. Ren, Jaune, and Nora were about to go off to find a place for them stay, when the ambulance arrived to take Qrow to the hospital. Jaune came over and asked if Ruby was doing alright. She told him that she just had a lot on her mind, but she would be fine once Qrow got the hospital. Jaune offered to accompany her but she thought he would be better off finding a place to for them to rest. Everyone in team RNJR was exhausted, including herself, but she couldn't leave her uncles side. She was far too worried about him.

She boarded the ambulance with her uncle and they left. Ruby's thoughts drifted toward what Qrow was mumbling during the flight to Mistral. She needed answers, but only Qrow had them. Her plan was to stay with him until he woke so they could have their much-needed talk. Ruby needed to talk to someone, but even though Jaune had offered earlier, he wouldn't be able to help her. There were only a select few people who she could talk to about matters such as these, like her sister Yang, or her father. She deeply missed both her sister and her father and wished they were here with her for they would know exactly what to say.

Not to long after, they arrived at the hospital. Qrow was rushed into the emergency room and they began surgery. Ruby was forced to stay in the waiting room despite her objections. She received Qrow's personal affects before going and situating herself in the nearly empty waiting room. She tried to keep herself preoccupied by thinking about the rest of her team. She was worried about them too.

After Beacon fell, Blake had disappeared and Weiss was forced to return to Atlas. They both, along with Yang were on her mind all the time. That wasn't making things better so she shook of the thought of her absent teammates. She dug through Qrow's jacket pocket looking for the picture she had only seen a couple times before, the picture of team STRQ. Upon finding the picture, she pulls it out but an additional picture falls from the pocket onto the floor. Ruby reached down to pick up the picture.

She started at the bottom of the photo working her way up. As she did she noticed the figures black boots, then the black skirt and corset. As she continued Ruby noticed the cloak the woman was wearing, it was very similar to her own, only pure white. The red headed woman had a slight blush coming on, and… silver eyes. This was a picture of Summer Rose. Ruby's hands started to tremble as she stared at the photo. She didn't know why her Uncle Qrow would have a picture of her mom. Ruby pushed those thoughts out of her mind for now, she was just happy to see a picture of her mother.

"Hi mom" Ruby says out loud looking at the picture of Summer. "It's times like these that I really wish you were here" She said after a moment. "I could really use your help. There's just so much going on, with Yang hurt, and Weiss and Blake gone, and Pyrrha…" she trailed off with tears starting to form in her eyes. She tried to collect herself. She forces a smile "But, I have my other friends Ren, Nora, and Jaune with me so not everything's bad. We've also been doing a lot of good and helping people since the fall of Beacon. Jaune has been getting a lot better and so have Ren and Nora. Oh, and we ran in to Uncle Qrow! He got hurt though, but I'm at the hospital right now waiting for him. I think he misses you. I know I miss you."

A nurse came out calling for Ruby saying that Qrow has come out of surgery and she can come and sit in his room with him. "I'm glad I was able to see and talk to you again." With that, Ruby followed the nurse to Qrow. She could now get the answers she needed.

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 **Authors note: This is my first fiction and I hope you all enjoyed chapter one. If you have any comments or questions, please leave a review or feel free to PM me. Thanks for reading and I hope too see you all in the next chapters! :D**

 **I had quite a bit of help from a good friend Siegfried Salazar. Wouldn't have been able to do it without him. ****He is also accepting PM's about this fiction.**


	2. Facing Demons

**Disclaimer: RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth. I do not own any of the characters or locations present, just the scenarios I have created.**

 **Chapter 2: Facing Demons**

" _Qrow!" Tai exclaimed. He pulled Qrow into a massive hug, clearly overjoyed to see his best friend. "I'm so glad you're here! I have something fantastic I need to tell you." Tai said as he and Qrow walked into the living room of the house. "And what might that be?" Qrow inquired. He was dreading hearing the answer his question. "Please, sit down. I'll be back in a moment." Tai said before walking out of the room. Qrow obliged._

 _It had been a little over a week and half since he and Summer had last spoken. The conversation they had still burned in his mind. Qrow pulled out the picture of team STRQ. "Things used to be so much simpler" he thought. He could feel his heart grow heavy as he began to focus on Summer in the picture. "Why did I have to be so foolish? Why couldn't I say something sooner as to prevent this situation? But… I know this is for the best."_

 _A burning sensation started in his eyes as they started to tear. His heart ached. This is not what he had hoped for when he had finally gotten something he had desired for so long. If only things had turned out differently. He puts the picture away trying to keep his emotions in check. It needed to be this way, there were no other options. Things will work out, she'll be taken care of here. He finds at least some comfort in that fact._

 _Tai came back with Summer the two of them hand in hand. Qrow forced a smile. "Sorry to keep you waiting Qrow." Tai said. "So, what's so important that I had to come all the way out here for you to tell me?" Qrow asked. Tai looked at from Qrow to Summer, she smiled and nodded at him. With an ecstatic look on his face Tai turned back to Qrow and said, "Summer and I are having a baby!" Qrow's heart dropped to his stomach, but he forced himself to smile again and say "That's…That's great to hear you guys. I'm…I'm really happy for you."_

 _Part of Qrow had hoped that Summer wouldn't go through with the idea he had given her, but he was foolish to think for a second she wouldn't. This is what needs to happen. Qrow stood up and walked over to Tai and Summer. He placed his hands on each of their shoulders to bring them both into a hug trying to hide the pain that was washing over him._

 _*Almost a year later*_

 _Qrow had returned from a mission a few days ago. The sun had just set and Qrow was at one of his more commonly visited bars in Vale, Crow Bar. As he ordered another shot his scroll went off. "Who could be calling me at this hour?" he muttered as he pulled out his scroll. The picture on his scroll was none other than that of Summer._

 _He stared at the scroll unable to bring himself to answer it. After it stopped ringing, a notification popped up. She had left a voicemail. Qrow looked up at the barkeep and motioned for another drink. After downing his new drink, he listened to the voicemail Summer had left. "Hey Qrow… I know things have been uh… rough between us lately and… and I know we haven't spoken much or at all since that night… And you may be going through a hard time… I'm sorry… I know you may not want to be around me right now, but there is something you need to see. Please… I'd really appreciate it if you could come over. So, uh… yeah… Hopefully I'll see ya soon. Bye."_

 _With that Qrow put his scroll away, paid the bartender, and left the bar. What could Summer want to show him that was so important? Qrow hasn't spoken to or heard from Summer or Tai much since the day they revealed the pregnancy. Then it dawned on him. There was no question in his mind now, he had to go see Summer._

 _Qrow knocked on Tai and Summers front door. After a moment, the door opened and he was greeted by two blondes. The first was Tai. Standing behind him, at knee level was Qrow's niece, Yang. Qrow dropped to his knees, extended his arms towards Yang and smiled. "Hey there little Firecracker." At that, Yang's face lit up and she ran to hug her uncle. Qrow picked Yang up in a hug and proceeded to follow Tai inside._

 _Once they reached the living room Qrow put Yang back down. Summer was sitting on the couch holding something. "So, what is it you needed to show me?" Qrow said before taking a seat on the opposite side of the room as Summer. Summer stood up and approached Qrow. As she neared, Qrow realized it wasn't a something Summer wanted to show him, but a someone._

" _Qrow, I'd like you to meet your niece, Ruby Rose." Summer said as she handed the baby Ruby to Qrow. He smiled, the first genuine smile he'd had in a very long time. He looked down at the little silver eyed girl. "Hey there Ruby." Qrow said, "It's a pleasure to meet you." He stood there staring at Ruby like she was the most precious thing in the world._

"Qrow! You're awake!" exclaimed Ruby as she got up and hurried over to his bed. Ruby had been waiting for a few hours now. She was worried the whole time despite the doctors saying Qrow was going to make a full and speedy recovery. But now he was awake and all the worry she had been dwelling on just washed away.

She hugged her uncle carefully so she didn't harm him. "I was so worried about you." She said as she pulled away. He laughed a little, which seemed to cause a little pain "I can tell." "How are you feeling?" Ruby asked. Qrow chuckled again and said, "Like I could use a drink." Ruby laughed a little, she was happy Qrow was feeling well enough to make jokes.

A moment later some doctors came in to check on Qrow so Ruby went back to where she was sitting. Things were starting to look up again. She decided to pull out the picture she found of Summer again. That brought her peace. She had been looking at the photo for much longer than she had thought for the doctors had already finished their tests and left. She didn't notice them.

Qrow looked over at Ruby and his eyes widened. With a heavy sigh, he said "So, I see you found that photo." thus breaking the silence and startling Ruby. She was flooded with questions about why Qrow had the photo, about her uncles' previous rambling and his hallucination about Summer. Ruby stood up still staring at the photo. "Uncle Qrow…" she said, her voice shaky. "I have some questions that I need you to answer… about my mom." Qrow instinctively reached for his flask but realized it wasn't there.

Qrow let out another heavy sigh. "Alright kid, come have a seat." Ruby moved to sit in a chair next to Qrow's bed. Ruby stared at the photo of Summer and started to say, "I don't mean to pry... it's just… you don't talk about her much even though you knew her better than most given you were her partner at Beacon... and I haven't asked about her before even though I really wanted too because Dad said it's hard for you..." There was a quiver in her voice as she spoke.

"I tried to ignore it, but everything seems to be falling apart! It's too much! Beacon is infested with Grimm, Vale's a mess! Yang is stuck in a hole right now, Blake has gone off the grid, Weiss was taken back to Atlas, Pyrrha's gone…" At the mention of Pyrrha Ruby faltered for a minute with tears swelling in her eyes. "And then… and then we nearly lost you too…" With that Ruby had tears freely falling down her face.

Qrow motioned for Ruby to come over to him. Once she did he wrapped his arms around her until she calmed down. It took a minute but Ruby collected herself and sat up. "I'm sorry but with your rambling… thinking I was my mom... and this photo of her... it's just too much to ignore Uncle Qrow... I love you but please help me understand... she's my mother and only you have the answers I need..." Qrow sighed before saying "I guess it's time you learned the truth about everything… the reason behind the drinking, the reason I don't speak of your mother much... the reason Tai and I aren't as close as we use to be... and how I wish with every fiber of my being... of my soul that Summer was still with us..." They both sat there in silence for a moment looking at the picture of Summer.

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 **Authors note: I hope you all enjoyed chapter two. If you have any comments or questions, please leave a review or feel free to PM me. Thanks for reading and I hope too see you all in the next chapters! :D**

 **I had quite a bit of help from a good friend Siegfried Salazar. Wouldn't have been able to do it without him. He is also accepting PM's about this fiction.**


	3. Revelations

**Disclaimer: RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth. I do not own any of the characters or locations present, just the scenarios I have created.**

 **Chapter 3:** **Revelations**

"You know, I can remember the day I met Summer like it was yesterday. It was my first day at Beacon Academy…"

… _Raven and I were standing together in the auditorium, Professor Ozpin had just started his introductory speech to all us first year students. All of the sudden the doors behind us open and in stumbles this girl... not so much a girl as she was something out of a fairy tale. She was wearing a white cloak with a broach that was a rose insignia, black boots, matching leggings, corset and dress, which I later came to be know the correct term was "combat skirt", but everything froze as she took off her hood..._

 _My breath was stolen from me… She had this shoulder length red and black hair that looked softer than silk, which had only served to compliment by her pale complexion and her eyes... She had these silver pools that anyone could get lost in, it was like looking at two full moons at their peak... I don't remember much of what Professor Ozpin was saying._

 _I was so captivated by this girl as she was making her way through the crowd of students trying to get a better view since she was a little short, but in a cute way, and I noticed she was getting closer to me as she made her way through the students, being bumped back here and there, but I was broken out of my stupor as this big muscle head tripped her by accident causing her to stumble over and fall towards me._

 _I caught her before she could fall, she rushed to get up and then she spoke... her voice was soft and light, just like an angel would be... "I'm so sorry! I can be a bit of a klutz and I sometimes get lost in my thoughts when I really should be paying attention to where I'm going!" I kept staring entranced by her beauty and adorable rambling. "And now I'm making fool out of myself and I haven't even passed initiation yet... Aww I wanted to be cool looking, kind of like what you have going for you... and now I'm rambling to a complete stranger..." she waved a hand in front of my face "Hello? Anyone home?" I shook myself out of my trance, and offered my hand "Hmm, sorry, name's Qrow, Qrow Branwen" she took my hand enthusiastically, and it felt as soft as it looked "Summer, Summer Rose!"_

 _She took her hand back and continued "Umm sorry about that stuff before... the rambling and the whole bumping into you an all…" as she shyly brushed some of her hair behind her ear. "No worries." I replied, "we all have off days, and I don't hold it against you, besides it was the fitness nut that knocked you over, so it isn't your fault really." She smiled brightly and replied "Awesome! Hey... uh do mind if I just stand with you here? It's a good spot and I'm kinda short, soo yeaa…" she looked down kicking the floor "Nah, be my guest, you're probably better company than most the clowns in this lot anyway._ "

"From there we proceeded to listen to the rest of Ozpin's speech." Qrow paused for a moment deciding where to take the story next. "Uncle Qrow…" Ruby said hesitantly, her voice shaky.

It took her a moment before she spoke again. "Wh... Why are you talking about my mom that way? It's kind of weirding me out." Qrow exhaled a heavy sigh "Listen kiddo… I really haven't talked about this much with anyone, not even my Raven knows all the details. I know this hard for you to hear Ruby, but this is tough for me too… so just bear with me, okay? Everything will make sense by the end of the story and if you still have any questions afterwards, I'll do my best to answer them. Sound good?" That seemed to put Ruby at ease. At least she was going to get the answers she needed. "Okay, please continue." Qrow heaved another sigh "Alright, where was I? Ah right, Ozpin had just finished his speech. The first-year students had congregated in the ballroom to sleep and the next morning we met on the cliff for initiation..."

 _I was one of the first few people launched off the cliff. I hadn't really formed any sort of plan outside of reach the temple and return. After landing I took off running towards the temple. A minute later I was halted by a rustling in the trees above me. I was on guard, moments away from drawing my sword when a blur of white came falling out. It was a woman falling. I started running over to where she was falling from. I managed to catch her, even if just barely. I looked down at the woman and with a slight smile I said, "You know, we really need to stop meeting this way."_

 _She looked back at me and said "Yeah, sorry about that." We both laughed for a moment before she abruptly stopped realizing I was still holding her. "Umm would you uh… mind putting me down now?" She said asked quietly. I quickly obliged not realizing it myself. "Sorry about that." I said kind of nervously while scratching the back of my head. She put on a big smile "Oh don't worry about." I smiled at the response. "So how is it that you managed to find yourself falling from a tree?" I asked._

" _Well… you see after being launched off the cliff I landed in the trees and I was running along the branches and jumping from tree to tree when all of the sudden one of the branches just broke and I found myself falling. I was just lucky that you were here to catch me." She was a little flustered as she told me, embarrassed that something like this could happen. "Yeah, lucky you..." I told her as I drew my gaze away from her. "I never thought it would bring me good luck." I told myself quietly. "So, partners?" She smiled and extended her hand to shake, breaking me away from my thoughts. I looked up, "Partners." I said while shaking her hand in agreement._

"From there we made our way to the temple and collected our relics and returned to the cliff. It was there that I learned that Raven and Tai were partners only because Raven had to save him from a pack of Ursai. Shortly after was the team announcement ceremony. Our team was composed of Summer, Tai, Raven, and of course, me. We were known as team STRQ." Ruby was trying to suppress a laugh. "What's so funny?" Qrow asked. "Did dad really need saving?" She was fully laughing at this point. "Well if you ask him he'd tell you he was doing fine but according to Raven, he needed it." Qrow and Ruby both laughed for a minute.

"The rest of our time at Beacon was pretty good, I mean we weren't without our challenges but we were together, and that's all that matters. Raven and Tai had been growing closer together as time went on. Sometime after graduation Raven announced that she was pregnant with Yang. During the pregnancy, she and Tai stopped going on missions which meant Summer and I went on a few missions together. We were already close but those few missions alone with her caused some other feelings to arise. Although I don't think she noticed."

Hearing that Ruby perked up, listening more intently. "Right after Yang was born Raven just took off. I tried to stop her but she wouldn't listen to me… Tai was in shambles. He thought he and Raven were building a life together, but it all just fell apart when she left. In the aftermath of Ravens departure, I was talking to Summer and I suggested that she help Tai with Yang because he really needed it. She thought it was a great idea. Oh, how I regret suggesting that.

Don't get me wrong, I love your sister and I am glad she was well taken care of but it changed some aspects of my life that I wished it hadn't. Anyway, Summer started growing closer to Tai because of the time they'd spend together, plus she started seeing Yang as her daughter. Just after Yang turned two Ozpin presented me with a mission and I decided to see if Summer would accompany me for old times' sake. She agreed despite Tai's objection. So, we set out to clear some Grimm in the kingdom of Mistral. The mission was easy, it was supposed to take two to three weeks but we had it done in a week and half. On our way back, we stopped at an inn..."

" _This looks like a good place to rest for the night." Summer said, exhausted from walking all day. I nodded in agreement. We both went in to order a room. The innkeeper had informed us that he only had one room available and it only had one bed. Summer reluctantly agreed given it was our only choice and there were no other inns nearby._

" _Look, don't worry about it. I'll sleep on the floor if you're not comfortable sharing a bed." I told Summer reassuringly. "You'd really do that?" she asked. "If it would make you happy then I'd do just about anything." I told her with a smile. "What do you…" she started to say. "Look, go get cleaned up and meet me at the bar. Okay?" I said cutting her off. "O…okay, I'll be back shortly" She said. So, she went to go get cleaned up and I went to the bar and ordered a couple of drinks. I wasn't much of a drinker at the time. I took our drinks to a table and waited for Summer to return._

 _She didn't take long but apparently, I had dozed off for a little bit because when she came back she had to wake me up. She told me we could enjoy our evening after I had a shower so I did just that. I tried to be quick because I wanted to enjoy this time I had with her. Upon my return, I found she had downed her first drink and was already half way through her second._

" _Starting without me I see?" I said with a laugh. "Oh." she said with a smile "I didn't think you'd mind." I laughed some more as I took a seat. "I don't." I said as I downed my first drink, "Just let me catch up really quick." I waved the waitress over and ordered a couple more drinks. As the evening progressed we had consumed more alcohol than we probably should have..._

 _As I awoke the next morning the first thing I noticed was that I was in a bed. I had a splitting headache and the natural light filtering in from the window wasn't helping. The pain the light caused forced my eyes close. As I started becoming more aware of where I was I realized there was a soft weight on my chest. I squinted to see if I could identify what was the source of this weight was, and as I followed the pale appendage to its owner, dark reddish black tresses came into view as I reached the shoulder. My breath hitched in my throat as I only knew a single person with hair quite like that… more specifically only one woman..._

 _I could feel my heart pound as my gaze neared her face, and there she was... Summer Rose, more beautiful than I have ever seen her if that was even possible... then it hit me, I had slept with her… I had slept with_ _ **HER**_ _… She had slept with ME! I looked back over to her and I saw her soft smile while she slept... I was overtaken by feelings of joy, of elation! Surely this had to mean something right!? She must have some sort of feelings towards me!_

 _This is something I could have only dreamed of but always hoped deep down would happen, and here it is a reality! Finally, something had gone my way, nothing else mattered in this moment, not Ozpin, not Salem, not the Grimm, not even Raven or the Tribe... It was just me and Summer in this moment! Tai isn't going to believe this-_ _ **TAI**_ _… The smile on my face immediately melted away and was replaced with a feeling and look of shame and guilt._

 _Tai was my best friend; how could I do this to him? He and Summer were together and I just…The thought started to turn my stomach. But this isn't just on me, Summer could've stopped it but… This is something I've wanted for such a long time and I'm elated that it came to be, but not like this. It wasn't supposed to happen like this… I looked back over at Summer. She looked so peaceful._

 _The sight of her cleared my head of everything side what I felt for her. I'm hopelessly in love with Summer Rose who was currently in a committed relationship with the man who I see as a brother, and mother to a little firecracker who worshipped the ground beneath Summer's feet… Raven had already nearly destroyed Tai when she left, and little Yang... Summer is all she knows how can thi- my thoughts were cut short as the angel that was in bed with me spoke. "Can you keep the thinking down? I can hear it and I've been trying to sleep Qrow."_

 _She started to get up and I could only stare at her, I tried to speak but I couldn't seem to form the words, and then she spoke again as she grabbed her clothes "I'm going to take a shower alright?" I followed her with my eyes until she left the room. She seemed so calm, almost as if nothing had happened last night. How could she be this calm? Should Tai find out about this it could ruin what Summer has with him and Yang._

 _I froze, and I began to fill with dread. Did this not mean the same to her as it did to me? Was this just some drunk mistake for her? Before I could venture further with these thoughts I received a call from Ozpin. He apparently had another important assignment for me. My mission would take me in a different direction than Summer. We would have to part ways here. And for the first time I felt a deep anger towards Ozpin for this assignment couldn't have come at a worst time. I felt like he was ruining any chance I may have with Summer. To make things worse I'm going to have to deal with Ironwood._

 _I finished getting dressed when Summer came back from her shower. I was standing and ready to go, she grabbed her weapon and sent me a soft smile "Ready"? she asked me, "Yea… Let's go."_

 _We made our way out of the inn and walked in silence, I was too overwhelmed with my current thoughts about the situation I have found myself in with my best friend, she still appeared to be calm and it baffled me to no end. I was about to inquire on it, but she cut me off. "Qrow, what's up? You are more quiet than usual and you have that look where you are deep in thought and you don't look like you are enjoying these thoughts… Talk to me." I took a deep sigh "Oz called. He has another assignment for me in Atlas so I won't be able to return home with you."_

 _Summers posture changed at the news, even if just barely. I knew her well enough to understand that this change of plans upset her. "Well, duty calls." She said as she forced a smile. "Yea… guess it does. But hey, when I get back can we sit and talk… about this?" Her smile faltered a little, as she embraced me in a deep hug and whispered softly "Sure we can. But hey, be safe. Okay?" I smiled at her "You too. I'll see you soon."_

 _And with that we parted ways. We may have had to part for now, but I felt a little hope bloom in my chest, maybe just maybe I haven't missed my chance. We may still be able to work things out, but for now I had a mission to do and everyone knew Ironwood was as picky about being on time as Ozzy was about how you made his coffee…_

Qrow took in a deep breath and looked out the window. "I was definitely in love with Summer." Ruby was shocked by Qrow's words. She looked at the photo of Summer in an attempt to quell her thoughts. "Re… really?" Ruby barely managed to say still looking at the photo.

"Yes. She was perfect, at least in my eyes, and she didn't care about my past and where I came from. She had a pure heart and a kind soul. Your mother would've done anything for anyone. You are like your mother in so many more ways than you could possibly imagine." Qrow replied. "You know, that photo was taken that night at the bar. It was probably the second happiest moment in my life." Qrow continued. "What about Yang? What about dad...? what you and mom did? And what do you mean second happiest? Your story only has me asking more questions..." Ruby said, her voice quivering.

Qrow placed his hand on Ruby's shoulder and said, "Not quite done yet kiddo, there's still one last part to my story, so bear with me and I hope you understand why things are the way they are… and I hope you don't hate me for it..." with a sigh. "I'm confused... and shocked, but I could never hate you Uncle Qrow, you taught me how to be a huntress and helped me make Crescent Rose and honor the memory of my mother, and I love you because of it." Qrow smiled softly "Thank you Ruby. So, the rest of this story takes place after my mission in Atlas. It had been three weeks since we parted ways."

 _When I returned to vale I decided to call Summer. We had decided to meet at a park in Patch. Upon my arrival, I spotted her sitting on a bench. I walked over and sat next to her. She looked at me with a weak smile. "Hi Qrow…" Summer said, her voice trailing off. She looked disheveled and tired. "Hey." I replied. "How'd your assignment in Atlas?" She inquired. "It wasn't too bad, but I mean, it was Atlas after all. It was mostly recon with a little fighting." I said with a smile. "You weren't hurt or anything, right?" She asked. "Nope, not even a scratch."_

 _She turned her gaze away from me. "Hey, is everything okay? You look a little worse for wear." She tensed a little at the question. "I'm… I'm hanging in there." She said followed by a sigh. "You sure? Did something happen with Tai or Yang while I was gone?"_

 _After a moment, she brought her gaze back to me "We've known each other for a long time, I can tell you anything, right?" This caught me off guard. We have known each other for a long time, so why would she be asking this? "Of course, you can. What's going on?" She looked down at the ground for a moment before speaking._

 _I could tell there was something she needed to say but she was having a hard time building up the courage to say it. "About that night… at the inn…" My heart picked up in pace at the mention of that night. "Yes…? What about that night?" I said. "I… that night… it was nice… but it just…it wasn't supposed to be like that… I just... Tai… and Yang… I shouldn't have…" My heart dropped into my stomach at her words._

 _I put my hand on her shoulder to stop her from rambling more "Summer, what's going on?" She froze, tears falling freely down her face. "I'm… I'm pregnant Qrow…" My stomach turned to lead. "What… what do you mean you're pregnant Summer?" I asked. "I mean… after our mission when we… It's yours Qrow…" She managed to say. How could we have been so careless? "Summer… I-I'm sorry." She stood up and turned to me "I don't need your apologies Qrow! I need to figure out what I'm going to do!" She yelled as tears started to fall. She was right. Apologies are pointless at this point. I needed to think of something._

" _Will you please sit back down, you're making me nervous…" She remained standing for a moment before finally giving in to my request. "It's going to be okay, we'll figure this out." I told her reassuringly. "How?! What about Tai!? And Yang!? If he found out it would destroy him and I can't do that to him! He's already been through enough with Raven leaving. You saw how he was… We were lucky we were able to salvage what we could. How… how are you not freaking out about this!? What are we going to do!?" She started crying more and more as she went on._

 _Any remaining hope I had melted away. Now it was about making things work for her. I had lost, but that doesn't mean she has to as well. Then a solution dawned on me. There was a way that Summer could continue her life as Yang's mother and have this kid._

" _What…" I sighed heavily before continuing, "What if we tell him it's his?" As the last words came out I could feel my own despair set in. But I forced those feelings down, they don't matter. All that matters is Summer's happiness and this child. Summer stopped crying with a look of utter astonishment on her face "You… you would really go with that?"_

 _I let out another sigh, "Yea… I guess I would… Anything for you and the kid." She blushed slightly at my choice of words. "I guess that could work… It's just… I…" I placed my hand on her shoulder again and she stopped talking. I embraced her in another hug and quietly said "It's okay… It's all going to be okay." Although those words we not just for her._

" _Thank you Qrow… Thank you so much…" She was crying again, but this time not from sadness, but from relief and happiness. We stayed in the embrace for a few minutes. After she calmed down I stood up and informed her that I had a debrief with Ozpin that I had to get to. She smiled weakly and nodded. I turned and started walking away._

 _I could've sword I heard a voice on the wind whispering "I'm so sorry." I didn't look back. I couldn't look back. If I had I wouldn't have been able to go through with this. I tried to push all of those thoughts down as I made my way to the closest bar in hopes of finding oblivion's embrace._

Ruby stared wide eyed with her jaw hung open as she pieced everything together. The mumbling from earlier, mistaking her for Summer, the fondness he described Summer in, the love he admitted he had for Summer, the drinking, the awkwardness between him and Tai, the reason why he never talks about Summer, and the reason why he was so adamant about personally training her. It all made sense now.

Qrow looked away, unable meet Ruby's eyes. "Well… there you go. You asked for the truth and now you have it…" Ruby was trembling, not only physically but emotionally as well. "So… you… you're… that makes you…" Ruby was unable to put the sentence together. She dropped the photo of Summer on the bed.

Qrow looked up at Ruby with tears falling freely down his face and a smile then said "Yes, Ruby… it's true, you are my daughter." Ruby didn't know what to say, let alone think. Then she realized something Qrow had said "Does… does that mean that I… wasn't supposed to happen…? Was… was I mistake…?" Ruby choked out.

"NO! Hell no! Ruby you and your mother are and always will be the most precious things in my life! I'm came from a bandit clan with only my sister at my side, I had so little and then your mother came along and changed everything! It hurt deeper than words can express that I couldn't be the real father in your life, and the situation could have been better... but when I held you in my arms for the first time after you were brought home... It didn't matter to me, I got to still be in your life and spend time around the daughter that I made with the woman I love, and that's all that matters Ruby... You were never a mistake, I never considered you one and I sure as hell know Summer didn't either, and were she here now, she would tell you the same thing. You are my daughter Ruby and I love you more than I can put into words... so please don't ever think you were a mistake. I'm sorry that I couldn't be your dad, but you still are the best thing in my life, and that will never change."

Ruby smiled, she was relieved at Qrow's words. "Thank you… but you don't need to apologize…" Ruby said. "What?" Qrow asked. "I-I said… you don't need to apologize... You don't owe me an apology for anything... You did the best you could. You helped me a lot, especially when it came to my training. I… wouldn't be who am I today without you… I know you wish you could have been my dad from the start, but that doesn't matter... You are my dad! And… you are here now." She was in tears, but not tears of sadness.

Ruby moved over and embraced Qrow in a hug. She smiled and said, "I love you… dad." They both sat in this embrace for a while. Once they both had calmed down Ruby got up and moved to the other part of the room and sat down, she was exhausted. She looked over at Qrow "Hey Qrow… I mean… dad… I have another question." Qrow looked over at Ruby, he could get used to this, being dad. "What is it?" Ruby took a moment before speaking, "If I hadn't… Were you ever going to tell me that I was your daughter?"

Qrow pondered at how to answer this question "I… I've always wanted to tell you Ruby. It's just, until now, no good would've come of me telling you. It would have caused tension between you and Tai and you didn't need that in your life right now. It was killing me not to, but your well being far outweighed my desire to tell you. Maybe one day later down the road I might have told you. I'm not really sure though." Ruby smiled, "That's okay, I understand." With that Ruby got comfortable and fell asleep. Qrow looked over at his daughter and under his breath whispered, "Thank you Ruby." Before closing his eyes and falling asleep himself.

* * *

 **Authors note: I hope you all enjoyed chapter three.** **It would be greatly appreciated if you guys would leave reviews! It would help improve the quality of the writing! So you know, do it! :D**

 **Anyways, see you all in the next chapters! :D**

 **I had quite a bit of help from a good friend, Siegfried Salazar. Wouldn't have been able to do it without him. He is also accepting PM's about this fiction.**


	4. Reunion

**Disclaimer: RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth. I do not own any of the characters or locations present, just the scenarios I have created.**

 **Chapter 4: Reunion**

"Thank you for the ride" The blonde woman said to the captain of the ferry. "Anytime miss. I hope you find who it is that you are looking for." The captain said with a smile on his face. "Oh I'm sure I will, but thanks again." Yang got on her bike and started to drive off as the captain waved goodbye. She still had a ways to go to get to Mistral. For now though, she was left alone with her thoughts.

"To think only a short time ago we were just attending a Hunter academy, sparring, going out into Vale on the weekends, eating in the cafeteria, making jokes, studying for tests, doing projects, hanging out with JNPR, prepping for the Vytal Festival... all without a care in the world... and now... it's all gone, Beacon, Ozpin, Penny, and…Pyrrha..." A tear began to form in the blonde's eye, "We got lucky... I got lucky…" She looks down at her now mechanized right arm, "I suppose I can be thankful Weiss is safe in Atlas, Ruby is with Jaune, Nora, and Ren, and Blake… sh-she's probably fine…" Yang tensed up as a frown marred her face until the thoughts of her estranged partner faded, "either way, the answers I'm looking for are in Mistral, hopefully Ruby is there and hasn't gotten into too much trouble… or worse hurt..."

Weiss jumped as she was awoken by one of the crew members of the airship she was on. "Ma'am, are you alright?" he asked her. "Hmm? Yes, I'm fine." She stated, still trying to gain her bearings. "Where… where are we?" The man smiled, "We're about five minutes outside of Mistral. Once we land you're going to have to sneak off the plane. If you're caught however, I will deny any knowledge of you, and declare you a stowaway." Weiss stood up, "I understand, and again, thank you for the ride." The crew member nodded and walked back to the front of the ship.

Weiss stood up and made sure she had everything. She had to be prepared to get away clean, or run if that wasn't an option. She let out a sigh and hoped everything would work out the way she was hoping it would. She hoped she would be able to find Ruby quickly, and the rest of their team so they can track down the people responsible for the attack on Beacon, and find out how they infiltrated they school. If they can do this, maybe they can prevent this from happening again at another school.

Weiss was shook from her thoughts when the airship landed. She walked towards the cargo bay door, but stopped and hid around the corner when it started to open. She was relieved when it was only the pilot. "The coast is clear for the moment Miss Schnee, I suggest you hurry." He called out. Weiss moved out of the corner into the view of the pilot and nodded at him. She got off the ship and started towards the door on the far side of the hanger.

As Weiss reached the door the handle started to turn. She ran to the wall so when the door opened it would hide her behind it. She reached the wall and pressed herself up against it so that she was as flat as possible, and so the door wouldn't hit her. From the door, in walked 4 armed guards to check the cargo ship. The door started to close again as the last guard walked passed.

Just before the door closed all the way Weiss caught the handle to prevent it from doing so. The slowly opened it up just enough to slip herself and her bag though the opening. She looked back towards the guards to see the pilot talking to them. He gestured towards the ship allowing them to search it. Weiss let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. She was clear of the guards and started running down the hallway.

Weiss was exhausted. It didn't take her long to get out of the building, but it took a lot out of her. She had found a side door that opened to service road. Thankfully there was no one around. She followed the service road out towards the main street. Once there she hailed a taxi that would take her into town. She could finally relax a little.

The taxi stopped at a café near the center of town. Weiss paid the driver and got out. She pulled out her scroll to see the time. It was just after 2 pm. There was no time to waste, she needed to find Ruby as soon as possible, but she had no idea where to even start looking. As she was about to start walking, the smell of freshly baked breads and other delicacies filled her nose. Weiss' stomach grumbled at the idea of food. Weiss grumbled too, "Why must I be hungry now… I don't have time for this…" she said to herself. She let out a sigh, "I might as well eat, Ruby would be furious if she found out I haven't eaten anything today." Weiss smiled at the thought of Ruby, with that she walked into the café to purchase some lunch.

Weiss was glad she had stopped to eat. She didn't realize it at first but she had been starving. Plus it gave her a few minutes to think about where to start her search. Ruby had to be staying somewhere so she was going to start by heading to the Hotel nearest Haven Academy. It made sense to look there first because that's where she figured Ruby would have started her search for Cinder.

As she walked she noticed a clothing store, "maybe I should stop and get some less distinguishable clothing." she though as she entered the store. Twenty minutes later she emerged wearing a faded light blue tee shirt and some navy blue jeans. She traded her heels for a pair of navy blue converse. To complete the look, she put her hair into a braid, that way it was still kept out of the way. This really wasn't her style, but she really didn't need to stick out or get recognized. Weiss then continued towards the Hotel.

After about another hour and a half of walking, Weiss had finally reached the hotel. She pulled open the front door and entered the building and approached the front desk, "excuse me, I was wondering if you could tell me if my friends are staying here?" The woman smiled at Weiss, "Sure, what is the name they would be staying under?" Relieved, Weiss responded "Ruby Rose."

The woman looked down at her computer for a moment, "I'm sorry, we don't have any guests with that name, is there another name it they would be staying under?" Weiss frowned a little, "What about Yang Xiao Long, or Blake Belladonna?" After a moment the woman looked back a Weiss, "I'm sorry but neither of those names are coming up either. Is there another name that you'd like me to check?" Weiss let out a sigh, "No, thank you very much."

Weiss ordered herself a room and was then escorted by a bellhop to said room. She tipped the bellhop and walked inside. She started unpacking her stuff when she realized how little dust she had actually brought with her. "Alright, I guess I'll need to head to a shop after I unpack this stuff." she thought. 15 minutes later she was back in the lobby of the hotel. She asked the woman at the front desk for directions towards the nearest dust shop.

The walk took her about half an hour. She entered the shop and started browsing all the different types of dust available. She started collecting a few different vials of dust, each varying in color. As she collected the last of what she needed she started towards the clerk so she could purchase them.

"Weiss…? Is…is that you?" squeaked a woman's voice from behind her. Weiss almost jumped at the sound, but the voice was unmistakable, one that despite startling her, also brought her warmth and comfort. "Ruby?" Weiss said as she turned around to face where the voice had originated.

Ruby rushed forward using her semblance and engulfed Weiss in a hug that forced all of the air out of the girls' lungs. "Ruby… can't… breathe…" Weiss tried to say. Ruby quickly released Weiss and looked at her apologetically "I'm sorry, I just got excited and I missed you, and I didn't know what to do and that was just the first thing that came to mind, and I am sorry, I just…" "Ruby!" Weiss interrupted as Ruby tensed up, "it's okay, calm down. You don't need to apologize, just be more careful, you dolt." Ruby relaxed again and nodded with a smile.

"How'd you find me?" Weiss asked as she turned back to pay for her dust. Ruby stepped to her side, "Well, me and d-" Ruby paused for a moment, considering her wording, "Me and Qrow left the hospital earlier and went to a hotel and when I gave my name to get our room, the receptionist said that someone with your description was asking for me and had left towards this shop so Qrow went up to the room and I rushed her as quick as I could using my semblance. I needed to know if it was really you."

Weiss looked Ruby over, "Why were you at the hospital? Were you hurt? What happened?" Ruby shook her head, "I'm fine Weiss, it was Qrow… He got hurt protecting me, Jaune, Nora, and Ren. But he's okay now. We spent the past three days there and got out just a couple hours ago." Was felt a wave of relief wash over knowing that Ruby wasn't hurt. "Wait, Jaune, Nora, and Ren? Where are they? And where's Yang? Or Blake?" Weiss asked as she led Ruby out of the store.

"They're at the hotel we're staying at right now. Yang's at home still… She's…not doing too well. And Blake…" Ruby's voice faltered a little, "She disappeared shortly after your father picked you up according to Yang. Wait, how did you know to come here? How did you know I would be here?" Ruby and Weiss walked out of the store and started working their way back to the hotel before Weiss gave her response. "While I was back in Atlas, before I ran away, I met with my sister, Winter. She told me that she had met with General Ironwood, who along with Qrow believed that the best place to continue the investigation into the attack on Beacon was here, so I had a hunch I would find you here. It seems my hunch was correct, I'm just lucky to have gotten here when I did."

Ruby and Weiss walked in silence for a few minutes before Ruby responded quietly "I'm glad you're here Weiss, the last few weeks have been really difficult, even with the rest of JNPR." Weiss let out a sigh, "Ruby, I owe you an apology. I shouldn't have let my father take me away. I should've stayed with you and helped out. I know you're probably mad at me for leaving the way I did and I can't change what happened, but just know that I'm sorry." Ruby stopped walking and placed her hand on Weiss' shoulder causing Weiss to turn and face her, "Nope!" Ruby said with a popping sound at the end of the word and a smile on her face. Weiss raised an eyebrow and was about to speak, "I'm not mad, Weiss. I mean sure when I found out you went back to Atlas I was sad and it would have been nice to have you helping us out, but I'm not mad. I don't blame you for leaving, and you didn't really have a choice."

Weiss was happy that Ruby wasn't mad, but that didn't change how she felt about the situation or the fact that she was still mad at herself. "But I should have fought to stay! I shouldn't have let him control me like that! I didn't want to leave!" Ruby pulled Weiss into a much softer hug than before causing her to stop talking. "It's okay Weiss. I'm happy you're here now, that's what matters. Don't worry about it, okay?" Weiss let out a shaky breath and pulled back from the hug. "O-Okay."

The two girls continued walking back towards the hotel in peaceful silence. As they rounded the last corner they heard the sound of tires screeching behind them. They both turned to find the source of the sound. They spotted a yellow and black motorcycle behind them with a blonde woman sitting on it. "Yang?!" Ruby yelled as she ran towards the motorcycle. The blonde got off her motorcycle and took her helmet off revealing her crimson colored eyes. "Ruby Rose! You are in so much trouble!" yang bellowed causing Ruby to freeze in her tracks with a look of confusion and a hint of fear on her face.

Yang stormed towards Ruby with a scowl printed on her face. "Yang, I'm sorry, but I couldn't just sit there and do nothing." Ruby said sheepishly as she started backing up. "After everything I lost… we lost, I couldn't just sit and wait for Cinder to make another move, so I left…" Yang reached Ruby and wrapped her arms around her younger sister in a soul crushing hug "You had me so worried! I was afraid you were hurt… or worse…" Yang fought back a tear at the thought of losing her sister. "I'm glad you're okay though. Dad was really worried too, and he was pretty upset that you left without actually saying anything." Yang released Ruby and she looked up at her older sister. "I know, I know, and I really am sorry but I just couldn't sit there…" Yang let out a sigh, "I know you couldn't Ruby. I was just afraid I wouldn't see you again. I can't lose anyone else…" Yang could feel the tears form and start to freely fall down her face.

"I'm okay, Yang. You are not going to lose me. Besides, I had Jaune, Ren, Nora, and even Qrow to make sure nothing happened." Yang raised an eyebrow and the mention of Qrow, but before she could ask the question on her mind Ruby continued "And I found Weiss!" Ruby gestured behind her towards the heiress. Weiss looked at Yang with a smile. Weiss was genuinely glad to see her. Sure they had their differences, but she did still care about Yang.

"Weiss? I thought you got taken back to Atlas by your father?" Weiss walked over to the two sisters "I did, but I couldn't stand it there any longer so I ran away. I got here a couple hours ago and ran into Ruby maybe twenty minutes ago. We were on our way back to the hotel when you showed up."

Yang smirked back at Weiss, "Wow, the fabled Heiress of the mighty Schnee Dust Company running away from home? Imagine that." Weiss responded with a scowl, which Yang just laughed at, "regardless, I am glad you're here Weiss, really." Yang looked back to Ruby and pulled her into another embrace. Yang was so relieved that Ruby was okay. She let go and looked back at Weiss. Yang held out her new robotic arm and wiggled her index finger to gesturing for Weiss to come towards her. Weiss' eyes widened a little at the sight of Yang's new arm, but she obliged and walked up to Yang only to be wrapped in a hug as well. One she happily returned.

After Yang wiped the tears from her eyes she looked between Weiss and Ruby "So, where's this hotel of yours?" Ruby grabbed both Yang and Weiss' hands and started pulling them both forward, "Just up the street, come on!"

Ruby had just taken off towards the dust shop in search of the white haired girl the receptionist mentioned, leaving Qrow to take what little stuff they had up to their room. "Thanks kiddo…" He said sarcastically with a smirk on his face. He followed the bellhop up to their room and set everything down before sitting down on the bed. After a moment he decided a shower was a good idea. After a quick shower Qrow decided to head downstairs towards the bar. Once he got there he sat down and waited for the bartender to approach him.

"What can I get for you?" he asked. "Umm, give me a moment actually." Qrow said. The bartender nodded and walked back to his other customers. "What is wrong with me?" Qrow said under his breath. He thought back on the events of the past few days. Ruby had taken the revelation surprisingly well. There was a warm sensation building in Qrow's chest. What was the feeling? It was so foreign to him. Was it… happiness? Was Qrow actually happy? Qrow smiled, it had been such a long time since he'd felt this way. The bartender came back and asked "do you know what I can get you yet?" Qrow looked up, "actually, can I just get a soda?" The bartender looked a little surprised, "sure thing, I'll be right back."

After a minute the bartender came back with Qrow's soda. Qrow paid the man and he went back to his business. "Excuse me…" A voice spoke up from behind Qrow. Qrow turned to face where the voice had come from. He spotted a black haired boy with many freckles on his face, wearing a dirty white tee shirt. "You know, I don't think they serve kids in here, pipsqueak." Qrow said to the boy. "Shut up, I'm getting there." the boy said out loud to himself before looking back at Qrow. Qrow raised an eyebrow before the kid continued, "Um… I'm supposed to tell you… I'd like my cane back." The statement almost sounded like more of a question.

Qrow closed his eyes and started nodding before he reopened them and stood up, causing the boy to take a step back. Qrow took Ozpin's cane from his belt and held it for a moment. "It's good to see you again Oz." he said before tossing the cane to the boy. The boy caught the cane as it extended to its full length catching the boy off guard. "Come with me, we have a lot we need to discuss." Qrow said gesturing towards a seat away from the bar.

* * *

 **Authors note: I hope you all enjoyed chapter four. I was hoping to get this up a few days ago, but life decided to happen instead. I'm hoping to get the next one up by the end of the month...hoping...we'll see how that actually plays out...**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading and I'll see you all in the next chapters! :D**

 **I had quite a bit of help from a good friend, Siegfried Salazar. Wouldn't have been able to do it without him. He is also accepting PM's about this fiction.**


	5. Day One

**Disclaimer: RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth. I do not own any of the characters or locations present, just the scenarios I have created.**

 **Chapter 5: Day One**

Weiss opened her eyes as the light of the morning poured in. She sat up in her bed and took in her surroundings. Of course, she was the first one awake. Yang was in the bed adjacent to hers, snoring away. Ruby had offered to sleep on the floor because there were only two beds, so both Weiss and Yang each gave up an extra blanket to make it more comfortable for her.

Weiss quietly climbed out of bed as to not disturb the rest of her team. She grabbed a change of clothes and headed towards the bathroom. It was as good a time as any to get cleaned up. It was going to be a long day after all.

Over in the next room Ren was already awake and making pancakes for everyone as he had promised to do the night before at Nora's request. Nora had just gotten out of the shower. She walked over to Jaune who was still fast asleep. "Jaune! Our fearless leader! It's time for you to wake up. It's almost breakfast time. There's going to be pancakes! As much as I love you and respect you as our leader, I refuse to miss pancakes on your behalf!" She said as she with a lot of energy. "Jaaaaaune! Wake uuuuup." She said shaking she shoulder violently.

Jaune started to stir, but rolled over away from Nora and muttered "ugh, give me…" he let out a yawn, "five more minutes."

Nora sighed, "Fine, but if you aren't up when I get back from making sure everyone else is awake, I'm gonna drag you out of bed and drop you on your head!" She then headed towards the door to find Ren standing in front of it.

"Nora was that really necessary?" he asked.

She looked up at him with a bright smile "Yes it was. We don't have the time to be lazy!" She opened the door and walked out leaving Ren there shaking his head.

Ren let out a sigh, "What am I going to do with that girl?" he said before returning to the kitchen.

When Weiss emerged from the bathroom after her shower Ruby had just barely woken up and was getting out of bed. "Good morning, Ruby." Weiss said.

"Huh? Oh, morning Weiss. How'd you sleep?" Ruby replied.

"I slept well. How about yourself?" Weiss asked as she started to brush out her hair.

"Considering how I've slept every night until now, it was nice to actually have something soft to rest my head on. But, my back's all stiff from the floor." Ruby said with a yawn that followed.

"You know I would've taken the floor Ruby. You didn't have to sleep on the there."

Ruby was picking out clothes for the day and about to walk into the bathroom to shower, "I know, but I wanted you and Yang to be comfortable so I took the floor." Ruby smiled at Weiss, but before she closed the door to the bathroom, "But, because you got the bed, you get to wake up Yang." Ruby closed the door leaving Weiss to figure out how to wake up the blonde without getting killed.

Weiss sat there contemplating her options before deciding on something. "Great…" she murmured before standing up.

"What?" Yang asked as she yawned and rolled over. "Oh, you're awake. What a relief." Weiss said. "And what's that supposed to mean?" Yang said with a laugh. Before Weiss could answer there was a knock at their door.

"I got it." Weiss said before walking over to the door. Weiss opened the door the find the beaming smile of the orange haired Nora Valkyrie.

"Good morning Nora. What can I do for you?" Weiss asked.

"Oh, Ren made pancakes! They'll be ready in fifteen minutes and everyone needs to come!" Nora responded excitedly.

Weiss smiled, "Very well. We will all be over shortly. Thank you, Nora."

Nora's face lit up, "Of course Weiss! Oh, um, I was wondering, are you doing okay? I can't remember if it was a dream or if it was real, but whatever it was made me think you weren't okay so I started to worry so I decided to come make sure you were actually okay, oh and of course tell you about breakfast. But yeah, if you weren't okay, that would be bad and nobody wants that, so I just had to come make sure because that's what friends do." Nora was about to continue rambling more before Weiss was able to cut in and stop her.

"Nora… I'm doing fine. Thank you for your concern. I've just had a lot on my mind lately." Weiss said.

Nora then brought Weiss into an unexpected hug. Weiss instinctively tried to fight it, before forcing herself to allow and welcome the hug. She wasn't the biggest fan of physical contact, but she knew Nora meant well and was actually happy deep down for the concern Nora was showing for her.

"Well if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here, okay? We are friends! And friends help each other out when needed." Nora said energetically with a huge smile as she pulled out of the hug. "Promise me that if you need someone to talk to or anything, you'll ask."

"Okay Nora, I promise. Again, thank you. It's… comforting to know that I can come to you if I need to. I really appreciate it." Weiss said with a genuine smile. "I'm gonna make sure everyone is getting ready. I'll see you in a few minutes."

"Okie dokie Weiss! I'm gonna go make sure Jaune is getting up." Nora's face now held a mischievous smile. She turned back towards her team's room and started skipping towards it.

Weiss laughed a little before she turned and closed her own door. That girl was a little ball of energy that cared deeply about her friends. Weiss was glad she was here.

Weiss closed the door and turned back to Yang who had gotten out of bed and was currently stretching. "It would seem we are expected for breakfast. Would you mind collecting your uncle?" Weiss asked.

"Sure thing, be back in a few." Yang said before exiting the room. Yang walked across the hall to the door leading to her uncle's room. She was about to knock when she heard multiple voices from the other side of the room, only one of which she recognized as her uncle's.

"You know they're going to have a really hard time believing that, right?" said the voice Yang knew was Qrow's.

After a short pause another voice spoke, one that was less matured and higher pitched. "He knows, but he also thinks they should know. It would make this endeavor much easier. But he also thinks that it should be kept between just you and the other six. If his, and your enemies found out he isn't really gone, it could create more problems."

Yang heard Qrow's voice respond, "I agree with him. It's just going to be a hard sell to the others. Hell, I'm still having a hard time with this." There was a short pause before Qrow continued, "Look, for now let's just keep this between us. When it becomes relevant I'll tell them."

The younger voice responded a moment later, "He doesn't like the idea but if that's what you want to do, then that's what we'll do."

"Alright, I think it's time we made sure everyone else was up. We have a lot to do today." Qrow said.

Yang wasn't sure what to make of what she heard. But as she assumed Qrow was nearing the door she knocked and spoke loud enough that the people behind it could hear, "Breakfast will be ready in a few. It'll be in Ren's room. See you in a few." Yang then quickly turned around and headed back into her room before a response was spoken.

When Yang closed the door, she heard the water to Ruby's shower turn off. She sat on her bed waiting for Ruby to get out so they could go eat. She started wondering about what she had heard from Qrow's room. Who was he talking to? And who were the other six he was referring to? If it was her, Weiss, Ruby, and the others, who could they be? She was jarred from her thoughts when Ruby opened the bathroom door.

"Good morning Yang!" Ruby beamed. "Is everything okay? You look like something's on your mind."

"Huh, oh, yeah, everything's fine. Come on, we have to go to breakfast. Ren made everyone pancakes." Yang said as she stood up and started towards to the door. Ruby and Weiss both followed her next door for breakfast.

As the three of them opened the door they noticed Jaune sitting at the table with a bag of ice on his head and a pained look on his face. "What happened there, Jaune?" Ruby asked.

"Nora happened…" he replied before laying his head on the table.

Ruby looked at Nora for an explanation. "I told him if he wasn't out of bed before I got back from telling you guys about breakfast I'd drop him on his head. When I got back he was still in bed. So yeah, I dropped him on his head."

Ruby and Yang started to laugh while Weiss walked over to Jaune and quietly said "Next time, I suggest you listen to her. Doing the opposite is proving detrimental to your health." Weiss then took a seat next to him while Ruby and Yang sat down to her left.

Ren and Nora started bringing pancakes to the table when Qrow walked in with a younger boy. "Hey, there's someone I'd like you all to meet." He said bringing the boy to the table. Everyone turned to give Qrow their full attention.

"This is Oscar. He'll be helping us out during our time here at Haven. Oscar, this is Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Jaune, Nora, and Ren." Qrow said gesturing to each person as they we're named.

"It's nice to meet you Oscar!" Ruby said, jumping up from her seat to shake his hand. "Please come have a seat." Ruby led Oscar to a seat and started talking to him and everyone else.

Yang stood up and approached and gestured for him to follow her out of earshot of the others. "So who is this? And how is he going to help us while were here?" She asked. "I don't mean to be rude, the help is appreciated, but I just want to know who he is." She continued.

Qrow sighed and placed his hand on Yang's shoulder "He's someone that can help. I'll explain more later, I promise. But for now, spend some time with your friends and relax. You may not get the chance to do so for a while."

Yang frowned a little. She knew she wouldn't get anywhere if she pressed more so she reluctantly went back to the table and greeted Oscar before sitting down again. Qrow joined them at the table and they all ate their breakfast.

Upon finishing Ruby looked up at Qrow, "So, what's the plan now? We all have a general idea of what needs to be done, but I think we should develop and actual plan." Everyone nodded in agreement to her proposal.

"First things first, we need to meet with Professor Lionheart." Qrow said. "I need to see where he stands on a couple things and see what help he can offer for finding Cinder and company." Qrow stood up walked around his chair so he was behind it. "From there, the next best thing would probably be splitting up and searching for leads."

Nobody objected to Qrow's plan. From there everyone got up to finish getting ready. Shortly after, they all met in the lobby when a commotion by one of the nearby televisions caught their attention. "Breaking News: Mistral has developed its own inter-kingdom communication system that can be accessed by your scroll. Everyone inside of the network can communicate with each other, but with the CCT tower in Vale still out of operation, communication with people outside of the kingdom is still not possible."

"Well that sure makes our lives easier while we're here." Jaune said after the announcement. "At least once we split up we'll be able to remain in contact now." They all tested to see if the system worked by sending each other texts. Once confirmed they were on their way again. They walked for a short while before reaching the shuttle station. From there a shuttle took them to the center of Haven academy.

After about an hour of travel they reached the building Professor Lionheart's office resided in. "Alright, Me and Oscar are going to talk to Lionheart. You guys just stay out here for the time being. We shouldn't be too long."

Yang was about to protest, but before she could, Weiss said "Very well." She turned to Yang and Ruby and stated "Ruby, Yang, we need to talk." She pulled them over to Ren, Nora, and Jaune. "When Qrow gets back, we're splitting up. How do we want to do that?"

Qrow and Oscar started walking towards Professor Lionheart's office. Upon reaching it Qrow knocked and waited for a response. From within he heard a muffled "Come in!" They both obliged. Upon entering the office Lionheart stood from his deck and offered them a smile.

"Ah Qrow, I was wondering when you'd show up. I figured it was just a matter of time." Professor Lionheart stated. He looked over at Oscar who was standing somewhat behind Qrow. "And who is this that you've brought with you?"

"This is Oscar." Qrow said while he moved to take a seat on the couch in Lionheart's office. "Anyway, if you knew I'd be coming, then I'd be correct in assuming you know why I'm here?"

Lionheart looked towards Oscar and gestured towards the couch as well before retaking his own seat. "You're here because of Vale, to make sure Haven won't be next. Let me assure you that I've taken all the necessary precautions to prevent my school and this kingdom from falling as well."

Qrow let out a sigh "I'm happy to hear that. But there is however, another reason in which we are here. The person responsible for the fall of Beacon claimed to have hailed from Haven. We are hoping to find and deal with her, but to do that, we need your permission to search the school and surrounding areas."

Professor Lionheart's face took on a much more serious demeanor. "I see. Well in that case you have my permission. I would like for this person to be found just as much as you would. What happened at Beacon was a tragedy and I would hate for that to happen again. If there is anything else that you need from me, all you need to do is ask."

Qrow stood up, "Thank you Professor. We best get going. I'll be back in a little while to discuss some other matters with you later today." He shook Lionheart's hand before departing with Oscar in tow.

"So, there are six of us aside from Qrow and Oscar, who I assume will be a team of their own. How about three teams of two?" Jaune asked.

"That sounds reasonable." Ren said.

Nora's face lit up, "I call dibs on a team with Ren!" she said in almost a yell. Everyone else just laughed as they knew that would happen.

"I'll go with Weiss." said Ruby. Weiss looked like she was about to protest but before she could Ruby turned to her sand stated much quieter, "There's something I need to talk to you about. So, please do this for me?"

Weiss let out a sigh, "Very well Ruby, we will be on a team."

"It would seem that you and I are the only two left." Jaune said to Yang.

"It would seem that way, wouldn't it?" yang said in return.

A moment later Qrow rounded the corner with Oscar following him. "You guys figure out how we're splitting up yet?" he asked.

"Yep, we did." Ruby said.

"Good, get going then. We have a lot of ground to search. Lionheart has given us permission to go anywhere we need to and his full support in this search. With communication back up, check in frequently and don't do anything stupid. Go it?" Everyone nodded in agreement. "Good. Let's go."

With that the four pairs set off to look for anything that would lead back to Cinder. Anything that could help prevent the next attack from happening. With this in mind, they set off to find the answers they so sought, but whether they were prepared for those answers was another question entirely.

 **Authors note: I hope you all enjoyed chapter five. After I wrote chapter four I had a large burst of inspiration so this chapter happened a bit sooner than expected. So lucky for I guess :P But, this good news also comes with some bad, the next chapter may be a little further off. While I do know what I want to write, I wont have the time until next weekend to even start writing it. This thing called life keeps getting in the way. There's also some more news, although this is not bad news. Someone pointed out a fault in my writing format that I have fixed in this chapter, but when I upload the next chapter i will also be updating chapters 1-4 to keep them all the same style and format. To "Hal" for pointing it out, I thank you. This is my first piece of fiction so I greatly appreciate the constructive criticism. But back to my original, bad news, the next chapter, depending on how next weekend goes, will be posted by next Sunday if all goes well. If it goes how I expect it to, the chapter should be up before Wednesday, hopefully...**

 **Anyway, sorry for the longer AN, just had some news that needed to be shared with you all. But, per the usual, please please please leave a review or send me a message! I love to hear from you guys and get feedback on this story! So again, thanks for reading and I hope to see you in the next chapters!**

 **I had quite a bit of help from a good friend Siegfried Salazar. Wouldn't have been able to do it without him. He is also accepting PM's about this fiction.**


	6. Ruby and Weiss

**Disclaimer: RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth. I do not own any of the characters or locations present, just the scenarios I have created.**

 **Chapter 6: Ruby and Weiss**

"Come on Weiss, let's get started!" Ruby stated as she started to get excited. She grabbed Weiss by the wrist before she could say anything and started dragging her towards the door.

"Ruby...! Let go of me!" Weiss complained as she was dragged along. "I'm perfectly capable of walking myself!" She said as she pulled her wrist out of Ruby's hand. "You're insufferable sometimes, I hope you know that."

Ruby stopped and looked back towards Weiss, "I'm sorry Weiss… I'm just excited to be here and doing this. I'm also really happy that I finally have some time to catch up with my favorite partner!" Ruby beamed with a bright smile on her face.

Weiss let out a small sigh before she continued walking with Ruby out into the main courtyard of Haven Academy. Even if she really wanted to, she couldn't stay mad at Ruby for long. "So, Ruby, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about? What's so important that you'd want to be on a team with me instead of your sister? I know you haven't seen her in a long time either."

As they reached the center of the courtyard Ruby turned back towards Weiss with a slight frown on her face. "The reason I wanted to be on a team with you instead of Yang is because I found something out and I don't know how to tell her about it. Or if I even should…"

"Ruby, what's going on? You can tell me anything. We are partners after all." Weiss smiled and placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder reassuringly.

Ruby looked up at Weiss a little surprised by the gesture. It wasn't something Weiss did very often. "Thanks Weiss. I don't even know where to start though…"

"How about the beginning?"

"Well it all started after I ran away from home with Jaune, Ren, and Nora."

* * *

The two girls had been walking around Haven for quite some time now as Ruby disclosed the events that had brought her to Haven. "So that's how you got here… I'm sorry I wasn't there fighting with you guys..."

"Weiss, we've been over this. It's okay, really. You're here now and that's all that matters. So, thank you for being here now." Ruby said as she pulled Weiss into a hug.

"Y-you're welcome Ruby." Weiss said, accepting the hug from her partner. After a moment Weiss pulled back, "So you guys boarded a ship and got flown here, then what?"

"Well, while we were flying here I was doing some maintenance on Crescent Rose when Qrow started rambling. It wasn't the first time given his condition, however this time he caught my interest. He started talking about my mom…" Ruby's face dropped at the thought of her mom.

At this point, Ruby and Weiss were sitting outside one of the professor's rooms waiting for class to end so they could ask him some questions. Weiss placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder to comfort her and to show her it was okay, but she didn't say anything.

"He was hallucinating or something because he thought I was my mom. And the way he spoke about her, it was weird. Anyway, not to long after we finally got to the hospital and I was sitting in the waiting room with his stuff. I started going through his stuff to find a picture I knew he had of my mom, him, and the rest of their team. I found it, but it's not all I found."

Ruby reached into her pocket and pulled out the photo of Summer she found that day. She held it up so Weiss could see it clearly. "He also had this picture. This just caused even more questions to swell. So, when he finally woke up I kinda freaked out on him a little from the stress of everything. He started telling me about a mission he and my mom went on before I was born."

Before Ruby could continue the doors to the classroom they were sitting outside of burst open as a sea of students poured out. Weiss looked at Ruby "I really want to hear the rest of this story, but can it wait until after we talk to this professor?"

"That would be fine." Ruby said before standing up. "This is more important anyway." Ruby smiled as Weiss stood up. They both waited for another few moments before the students stopped pouring out.

They entered the classroom and spotted the teacher at the end of the auditorium. They started down towards her, weaving around the few students who were still making their way out of the room. They approached the red haired professor and she looked up at them. "Hello girls. I don't think I've seen you two before."

Weiss stepped forward, "We are not students here. We were students at Beacon. My name is Weiss Schnee, and this here is Ruby Rose."

The professor was sadness in her eyes at the mention of Beacon. "I see. My name is Alice Holt, although you may just call me Alice. But how can I help you today?"

"We're looking for a couple people and we were hoping you might be able to help us out in that endeavor." Weiss said.

Alice smiled at the two girls, "I'll be happy to help however I can. Who is it that are you looking for?"

Ruby held out her scroll with a picture of Cinder Fall on the screen. "We're looking for her, and if you swipe right, you can see the other two people. They attended the Vytal Festival as students from Haven. We think they would have been caught if they weren't actually students here."

Alice looked at the picture for a good minute before checking the other two photos. "This first girl, I've seen her before. Although it has been quite a while, it was about a year ago. These other two I've never seen before."

"Do you know where we might be able to find her now?" Weiss asked.

"I do not. As I said, I haven't seen her in around a year now. I wish I could be of more help."

"Do you know anyone who might be able to help us find her?" Ruby asked.

"Hmm… Give me just a minute and I will write you a list of a few people who could help." The professor said before turning to her computer. After a moment of going back and forth between her computer and a piece of paper she turned back to the girls. She handed the piece of paper to Weiss "I hope this helps and you are able to find this girl. I'm sorry I could not be more direct help. Also feel free to come back if you have any other questions I may be able to answer."

Weiss took the paper, "Thank you so much. You've been a great help. It's very important we find this girl and your help is very much appreciated, so again, thank you."

"I'm happy to help. Have a pleasant evening." Alice said with a smile.

"You too!" Ruby beamed back at her as the two girls turned and started walking out of the room.

With that Ruby and Weiss left the classroom. "Hey Ruby, how would you like to finish our conversation over dinner?"

Ruby looked at Weiss and smiled, "That sounds like a great idea. You lead the way, I'm going to send a copy of that paper to everyone so they know what's going on."

Weiss handed the paper to Ruby "That sounds like a great idea."

They walked in silence while Ruby copied all the written information into her scroll so she could send it to everyone else. Just as she was about to put her scroll away it buzzed a couple times. "Hey Weiss, got an update from Jaune and an update from Ren as well."

"That's good. How are things on their end?" Weiss asked without looking back at Ruby.

"Well it seems Jaune and Yang are neck deep in old records and Ren and Nora are asking around town, sadly without much success so far." Ruby said as she put her scroll away again. "And I haven't heard from Qrow or Oscar yet, I wonder what they're doing…"

"I'm sure their hard at work Ruby. Don't worry about it." Weiss said.

"You must not know my… well Qrow… then heh." Ruby said with an uneasy chuckle.

Weiss let out a small laugh "Your Qrow huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's complicated… But don't worry, I'll finish explaining when we sit to eat!" Ruby said, a little flustered.

"You're such a dolt. Anyway, we're here." Weiss said as she stopped outside a restaurant. "I saw this place early today while we were walking and thought it looked good."

Ruby inhaled deeply, "It sure smells good. Come on, let's go! I'm starving." Ruby once again started dragging Weiss by her wrist despite her partner's complaints.

After a short wait, they were both seated and were now looking over the menu. "Get whatever you want Ruby, it's my treat." Weiss said.

"But…? How are you going to pay for it?" Ruby questioned.

Weiss pulled out a plastic card "Well I sort of borrowed this from my father on my out of the house. Let's just hope he hasn't noticed yet." Weiss said putting air quotations around the word 'borrowed.'

Ruby burst out laughing. "I hope you're right about that."

The waiter came by and Weiss ordered a salad and a water while Ruby ordered a large burger with a chocolate milkshake. After the waiter left with their order Weiss turned back to Ruby. "So, would you like to continue your story now?"

Ruby looked over at Weiss with a smile. She was happy that Weiss cared enough to want to know everything. "Sure thing. Now, where was I?"

"Qrow and your mom went on a mission together is that last thing you told me." Weiss said.

"Oh, right." Ruby said before collecting her thoughts. "So, my mom and Qrow went on a mission to somewhere around here actually I think. Anyway, they had just finished the mission and decided to celebrate a little by having some drinks before heading back to Vale. That night they both shared the same bed I guess I was the result of that night."

Weiss sat there for a moment trying to digest what she just heard. Before she could say anything, Ruby continued speaking.

"When he finished telling me all of this, I wasn't really sure what to think, but I was happy. I was happy that he was able to tell me this, even though he knew it would complicate things. I'm happy that he is my dad. Don't get me wrong, I love Tai…" Ruby paused a moment. Saying his name instead of calling him 'dad' felt so foreign to her. "I'm just happy he told me."

Weiss smiled. It was good to see her partner happy. "You're taking this surprisingly well Ruby. Most people in your situation would take a long longer to come to terms with the idea if they didn't reject it entirely."

"I know, but it explains a lot about how…" ruby paused debating on what word to use next, "my dad has acted throughout the years. He's always taken a personal interest in my training and tried to help me as much as he could. It also explains the drinking and the constant tension between him and Tai."

"Speaking of Tai, do you think he knows?" Weiss asked.

"I… I don't know." Ruby said looking away a little. "Oh, here comes our food I think."

The waiter brought out two plates of food and a very large chocolate milkshake. "Here you ladies go. I hope you enjoy it." He said with a smile before walking away.

Ruby started to dig in immediately, almost forgetting she was in the middle of a conversation. After a few bites Ruby looked back up at Weiss, "I'm not sure what to do though." Her tone was a lot softer and missing the energy it had before.

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked after swallowing her food.

"Well, it's complicated. Do I tell Yang? And if so, how would I even tell her? I'm worried that it will change how she sees me. I don't want things to change." Ruby's faced dropped into a small frown.

Weiss took another bite before answering. "Ruby, Yang loves you, and so does Tai. Nothing will change that. Yang will always be there for you like a sister should. She may not actually be your sister, but she will always love you like you. Even I can see that much."

Ruby's frown disappeared slowly. "Thank you, Weiss, that helps a lot. I still don't know if I should tell her though."

"That's entirely up to you. But I think you should. She deserves to know. Plus think of how angry she'd be if she found out that you knew and didn't tell her." Weiss said with a small chuckle that followed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Again, thanks Weiss."

"I'm always happy to help Ruby. I am your partner after all."

With that the two girls finished their meal and left the restaurant after Weiss successfully paid for the meal with her father's stolen credit card. They stepped outside into the warm, end of summer breeze.

"So, Ruby, where should we go now?" Weiss asked

"I'm getting kind of tired from walking around all day, let's head back to the room." Ruby said as she started to lead the way back."

"That sounds like a good idea." Weiss said as she followed.

The girls walked for nearly an hour before they just around the corner to their hotel room, the place where they had run into Yang the day before. They were both silent as they walked. Weiss had been thinking back towards the events prior to her arrival in Haven and Ruby was thinking of ways to tell Yang about Qrow and how all the different possibilities those scenarios could play out. As they walked passed the spot Yang had spotted them the day before, Ruby was dragged out her thoughts and back to that moment. It brought a smile to her face. She turned towards Weiss and noticed the frown that marred her face.

"Weiss? Is everything okay?" Ruby asked.

Weiss looked up at her partner not realizing why Ruby had even asked the question "Huh? Yes, I'm fine Ruby. Why do you ask?"

"You had a frown on your face, which usually means something's wrong, so what's wrong?"

Weiss let out a short sigh. "It's really nothing Ruby.

Ruby didn't believe her for a second, but she didn't push the issue further. The two girls made it to their hotel. As they entered the elevator, Ruby spoke up. "Hey, Weiss?"

The question hung in the air a moment to long. The elevator doors closed and the elevator started to ascend before Weiss finally answered with her voice stern. "What, Ruby?"

Ruby's face dropped even further at Weiss' tone, she could tell she was irritated, but she couldn't let this go. "If... if something was wrong… you would tell me right?" Ruby paused a moment, but before Weiss could answer Ruby continued, "I'm sorry I keep asking, but I'm just worried about you. It's obvious something is bothering you and I just want you to be able to talk to me. We're partners and furthermore friends. I care about you a lot and I just want you to know that you can talk to me about anything."

Weiss could hear the care in Ruby's voice, but there was also something else there, something that Weiss had heard only a few times before. There was sadness in Ruby's voice. A sadness that Weiss knew she had caused. The irritation the ex-heiress had been feeling towards her partner dissolved immediately at the sound.

Weiss looked up to meet Ruby's gaze, but just after they made eye contact Ruby quickly looked away, fearing Weiss' response. "Ruby…" Weiss said before letting out an audible sigh. "I'm sorry…"

Ruby looked back at white haired girl, with no trace of the frown that had previously marred her face.

"I didn't mean to upset you. I know that you're just trying to help, and I do appreciate it. It's just, I'm not sure I'm ready to talk about what's wrong yet. I still haven't figured it all out yet. I don't think there's anything you can do to help me with this." Weiss moved over towards Ruby and placed her hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "But, thank you for caring"

Ruby turned to Weiss and embraced her in a hug. "You don't know that I can't help. Please, just let me try." Ruby pulled out of the hug and looked at her partner with a small smile. "Sometimes just talking about things helps a lot. You won't know unless you try."

The elevator stopped ascending and the doors opened open. The two girls exited the elevator and started towards their room.

"Okay Ruby. I will try and talk about it." Weiss stated after a minute.

This brought a rather large smile to the brunets face. "Thank you, Weiss."

They were both silent for the rest of the walk back to their room. Once arriving Weiss went over to her bag and pulled out her nightgown. "I'm going to get changed, then, we can talk."

"I'll do the same then." Ruby stated.

After Weiss immerged from the bathroom Ruby entered to get changed. When she exited the bathroom a minute later she found Weiss leaning against the wall, looking out the window at the city beyond. Ruby moved to the bed behind Weiss and took a seat without saying a word.

When she looked back at Weiss, Ruby noticed that the moonlight reflecting off her pale skin and white hair caused her to seemingly glow. " _Wow…"_ Ruby thought. _"She looks so… pretty."_ Ruby knew her partner was very good looking, but this, this felt different to her. Though she didn't get to dwell on the thoughts longer for Weiss had started speaking.

"You aren't the only one who ran away from home. Though, you already knew that. But there's a lot more to it. When my father came to get me after Beacon fell, I was upset, but I didn't fight him." Weiss spoke without looking away from the window. "For the first couple of weeks I sat alone in my room. I had no interest in doing anything else. The longer I was there, the more I regretted going with my father. The more I wished I had stayed with you, Blake, and even Yang."

Ruby giggled a little at the mention of Yang. "Wow, you even missed Yang, huh?"

"Oh hush, you dunce." Weiss retorted.

"Okay, okay. Keep going." Ruby said as she forced herself to stop giggling.

"Anyway, my father decided to have the company hold a charity event, to, and I quote 'show the world that we are all victims of the fall of Beacon.' I liked the idea, well at first anyway. Once it was actually happening, I realized it was a pointless event just to better the SDC. It had nothing to do with Vale, or Beacon. No one even cared about what happened!" Weiss nearly shouted the last part and she braced herself up against the window looking outwards.

Ruby stood up and moved towards Weiss. She placed her hand on the shorter girls shoulder. "Weiss, it's okay." As she spoke she pulled the white haired girls shoulder forcing her to turn away from the window. There were tears running down her partners face. "You're okay Weiss. None of that matters anymore."

"How…" Weiss' voice failed her momentarily. "How can it not matter? How can everything just be okay?"

"Because, you're here now, with your team, your friends. Those people, they don't matter. All that matters is what's here and now."

Weiss calmed herself down for the most part. "I… I suppose you're right Ruby. Their…ignorance… shouldn't bother me. Thank you helping me to see that."

"Of course! So, is there more to your story? Or was that all that was bothering you?"

"Sadly Ruby, there is more, and it only gets worse from here…"

Ruby took Weiss' hand and started pulling on it. "Come sit with me on the bed."

Weiss didn't fight her as she was pulled towards the bed. She sat down next to Ruby and continued her story. "While at the charity event I overheard someone blaming Beacon for what happened and I lost it. I somehow ended up summoning a boarbatusk with my semblance, in my anger. Luckily General Ironwood was there to stop it before someone got hurt."

Ruby very quietly said "Wow…" due to being impressed Weiss was able to summon something like that.

Weiss glanced over at Ruby but didn't say anything about the quiet comment. "Later that night my father and I were having a… talk… about the events prior. He scolded me quite harshly. I told him that I didn't want to be there anymore, that I wanted to be a huntress. He didn't care. He told me that I wasn't to leave the house at all. He then told me I was no longer the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company…"

There was a long pause before either of them spoke again. It was Ruby that broke the silence. "I'm sorry Weiss… I know that meant a lot to you… But if you're no longer the heiress, who is?"

Weiss took a deep breath. "My little brother Whitley is now the heir of the SDC."

"Oh." Ruby said, unsure of what to say beyond that.

"For the next week I did nothing but train in my room despite what my father said. One day, while my father and Whitley were out in town, Winter snuck into the house to speak with me. She told me what was going on and that Haven was the next point of interest. She told me that if I wanted to get away from the house and father, there would be one last ship leaving Atlas exactly one week from that day. So I had Klien help get me out of the house, and now I'm here."

"Well I'm glad you're here Weiss." Ruby said with a smile.

"Me too, Ruby. Me too. Thank you for listening though. I think you were right. Just telling someone about what happened helped a lot."

"Hey, it's what friends are for! I'll always be here for you Weiss."

"Thank you Ruby, it means more than you know."

"You're welcome. Thank you for opening up to me." Ruby said as she fell backwards so she was lying on her back.

Weiss stood up and walked towards the kitchen for a glass of water. When she returned a couple minutes later, Ruby had already fallen asleep. Weiss let out a small, quiet sigh. "You dolt." She said quietly. She gently moved ruby to the top of the bed and put her under the blankets. She then went over the makeshift bed on the floor. After getting comfortable, or as comfortable as she could for being on the floor, it didn't take long for sleep to take her. Being able to talk to Ruby about her time in Atlas had put her mind at ease. For that, she was extremely grateful to her energetic partner.

* * *

 **Authors Note: Hello my beloved followers and other readers. I'm so sorry this took me so long to put up. Life kinda happened and it really kicked my ass for a while. I've just been sop busy and in the little free time I've had, I didn't have the motivation to write anything. But life has calmed down considerably now so I should hopefully be able to post more regularly, though i'm not going to promise anything. I know this chapter was a bit longer than most of my others, but that because I felt bad about taking so long to post anything. Plus I don't think I could really make it shorter if I tried... Anyway, thanks for being patient.  
**

 **Thanks for reading everyone! Please leave a review or follow or favorite or even better, do all three! Hope to see you all in the coming chapters!**

 **I had quite a bit of help from a good friend Siegfried Salazar. Wouldn't have been able to do it without him. He is also accepting PM's about this fiction.**


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